Mylliem MLA Ronnie V Lyngdoh, of the opposition Congress Party, today opined that merely revising the state’s job reservation policy will not be sufficient enough to fix Meghalaya’s unemployment problems.
Lyngdoh, who is a member of the committee on roster and reservation, said that it is important not to rush into making any changes to the “very sensitive issue” that is the reservation policy as it will have consequences for several years hence and the powers that be in the future may not be able or willing to review it further.
“So its better we take some time to prepare a comprehensive reservation policy so that nobody is affected badly in any way,” Lyngdoh said.
Asked if he is in favour of maintaining the status quo, he said that he is neither for or against change.
The Congress legislator further questioned whether a rise in the quota for any particular community will actually have a positive impact on unemployment, as the government is able to create only a fraction of the number of jobs Meghalaya needs to create as a whole in order to absorb its growing population.
Lyngdoh suggested that all 60 MLAs need to work together holistically.
“We should find how many unemployed youth are registered with the employment agencies and how many are looking for employment. Let us look at that,” Lyngdoh said. “I’m not saying that we will not review the reservation policy. But let us look at the larger picture… Let us attract investment so we can generate more jobs, more revenue for the state… I don’t think that just revising the quota is going to solve unemployment.”
